that bad nutrition can turn on viruses? Certain viruses can be activated to spread disease if you lack vitamin E and/or selenium, rich in whole grains, seafood, garlic and Brazil nuts, say U.S. Department of Agriculture researchers.

Vitamin alert!

Chicken soup was first prescribed medically as a cold and asthma remedy by the famous 12th-century physician Moses Maimonides.

MODERN PROOF

The first modern proof that chicken soup, often called Jewish penicillin, relieves cold symptoms came from a study published in the medical journal Chest in 1978. Marvin Sackner, M.D., at that time a pulmonary specialist at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, found that sipping hot chicken soup cleared up congestion -- that is, promoted the flow of air and mucus in the nasal passages -- better than plain hot or cold water. Even cold chicken soup helps clear the cold in your nose, Sackner said. But he proclaimed steamy soup a quicker, more efficient remedy.

The UCLA Evidence: No wonder chicken soup is a fabled remedy for colds: It contains druglike agents similar to those in modern cold medicines, says Irwin Ziment, M.D., pulmonary specialist and professor at the UCLA School of Medicine. For example, cysteine, an amino acid released from chicken in cooking, chemically resembles the drug acetylcysteine, prescribed for bronchitis and other respiratory problems. Pungent ingredients often added to chicken soup, such as garlic, cayenne pepper and curry spices, all are ancient treatments for respiratory diseases. They work the same way as expectorant drugs and cough medicines, thinning mucus and making breathing easier. The more garlic and hot spices added to chicken soup, Ziment says, the better the soup will be at clearing your lungs.

His bottom line: Chicken soup is probably the best therapy there is for a cold.

The Nebraska Proof:

The most exciting proof of chicken soup's power comes from recent tests by Stephen Rennard, M.D., chief of pulmonary medicine at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. Rennard declared chicken soup anti-inflammatory after testing 19 samples made from the recipe (below) of his wife's Lithuanian grandmother. Specifically, the soup blocked the movement of inflammatory white cells (neutrophils) in lab tests. That's important because cold symptoms -- coughs, congestion, malaise -- often are due to inflammation produced when neutrophils migrate to the bronchial tubes and accumulate there. Chicken soup seems to prevent this. And the soup worked even when diluted 200 times! This may explain why even one bowl of chicken soup helps stop symptoms, Rennard says.

Nearly any will work

Rennard tested 13 commercial chicken soups and found that all but one (chicken-flavor ramen noodles) had some anti-inflammatory activity.

Dr. Ziment's Garlic Chicken Soup

2 cans low-sodium chicken broth (or 3 ¹/2 cups homemade broth)

1 head garlic (about 15 cloves), peeled

1 medium onion, quartered

1¹/2 T each, minced parsley and cilantro

1 tsp each, minced mint and basil leaves

1 tsp curry powder

¹/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Salt to taste

1 T fresh lemon juice

Put all ingredients except the lemon juice in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered or uncovered*, for 30 minutes. In a blender or food processor, pure the cooked garlic, onions and herbs with a little liquid and stir back into the soup. Add lemon juice. If you want a clear broth, filter out the solid constituents. Makes about 3 ¹/2 cups.

*Omit the cover if you wish to inhale therapeutic cooking fumes.

An effective dose: as little as ¹/2 cup, but for a better response, take 1-2 cups, Ziment says. He advises sipping slowly to get the most benefits.

Nutrition per cup: 72 calories, 3.7g protein, 10g carbohydrates, 1g fiber, 1.7g fat (0.4g saturated), 58mg sodium, 11mg vitamin C.

Dr. Rennard's Chicken Soup

1 stewing chicken or hen (about 4 pounds), preferably whole*

3 large peeled onions, halved

1 large peeled sweet potato, halved

3 peeled parsnips, halved

2 peeled turnips, halved

12 large peeled carrots, halved (2 pounds)

6 celery stalks, halved

1 bunch parsley, trimmed of stems

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Put chicken in a very large pot and add water to cover. Bring to a boil and add the root vegetables. Simmer for 1 hour. Add the celery and parsley and simmer 90 minutes, or until the vegetables are very soft. Remove the chicken (reserving for another purpose). Drain the vegetables into a colander, saving all the broth. In a food processor, pure the vegetables. Return the pure to the broth. Skim off the fat before serving. (To make fat removal easy, chill the soup, skim, then reheat to serve.) Add matzoh balls if you like. Makes about 16 cups.

*A stewing chicken, sometimes marked hen, makes the best soup. It's often in the supermarket's frozen poultry section. If you can't find one, substitute a roasting chicken or, as a last resort, a fryer.

Note: Leave the chicken whole and vegetables in large chunks to make them easier to separate after cooking.

The doctor's prescription: Freeze the soup in small containers and use it when a cold strikes.

The actual therapeutic agent? Rennard suspects the ingredients, after prolonged cooking, interact to boost the cold-fighting effect.

Nutrition per cup: 102 calories, 3.6g protein, 19g carbohydrates, 4.5g fiber, 1.4g fat (0.3g saturated), 89mg sodium, 22mg vitamin C.

Bonus recipe

If you made Dr. Rennard's Chicken Soup, you now have a stewed chicken you can use for another purpose.

Here's a good use for it: a low-fat white chili that also contains a number of congestion-busting ingredients (hot peppers, onions and garlic, for example). The recipe is from Carol Mason, chef and cooking instructor in Washington, D.C.

White Chili

5-6 cups canned white beans with liquid

1-2 cups canned low-sodium chicken broth

1 T minced garlic

2 cups chopped onions

1 T olive oil

1 4-ounce can chopped green chilies OR 1 cup seeded and chopped fresh Anaheim chilies

1 poblano chili, seeded and chopped

2 tsps. each ground cumin and dried oregano

¹/4 tsp. ground cloves

¹/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

Dash of Tabasco sauce (more if desired)

4 cups cubed poached chicken

Optional garnishes: salsa, shredded Monterey Jack cheese; chopped scallions, tomatoes, cilantro

In a 4-quart pot, combine the beans and 1 cup broth. In a small saucepan, saut the garlic and onions in the oil until translucent and soft. Add the chilies and seasonings and mix thoroughly. Add the onion-chilies mixture to the beans. Cook over low heat 10-15 minutes. Add the chicken and cook over low heat 5 minutes or until the chicken is heated through. Add more broth if needed. Serve with garnishes. Serves 6.

Variation: To use homemade beans and broth, soak 1 pound Great Northern beans overnight; drain. Combine the beans, garlic, half of the onions and 5-6 cups homemade broth. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 2-3 hours, until the beans are tender. Add more broth if necessary. Then resume directions as above.